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Manatee County commissioner outlines three‑shelter framework and opioid‑funded treatment program
Summary
Commissioner Amanda Ballard told the Bradenton City Council the county’s coordinated shelter and treatment strategy uses opioid settlement funds to expand services: a women’s shelter (Under One Roof), a sheriff‑operated Fresh Start overnight shelter and a Salvation Army family‑support shelter, plus out‑of‑county treatment placements with Helping Up Mission.
Commissioner Amanda Ballard laid out Manatee County’s plan to broaden shelter capacity and long‑term substance‑use treatment at a presentation to the Bradenton City Council on May 27.
Ballard said the county has used opioid litigation funds to target gaps in homelessness services and treatment. “We started with the Under One Roof shelter,” she said, noting the women’s facility opened December 2025 and currently serves about 40 women a night. The county is partnering with the sheriff’s office on a Fresh Start shelter at the public works site on 26th (phase one: 60 people), and plans a supportive family shelter operated by the Salvation Army that would house about 26 families.
Ballard described the county’s long‑term treatment strategy as an alternative to short residential programs. Manatee contracted with Helping Up Mission in Baltimore to provide year‑long, evidence‑based treatment with clinical support from Johns Hopkins University. “We have actually sent over 180 Manatee County residents into that program since October of 2024, and we have about a 64% success rate,” she said, adding that the county pays a roughly $1,200 program fee per participant plus flights and two outreach workers to identify candidates.
Ballard emphasized that shelters will prioritize Manatee County residents and described work to verify where people are from so those who belong elsewhere can be returned to their home community after short stays. Several council members raised questions about whether neighboring counties are transporting people into Manatee County; Ballard and other officials said the priority is county residents and that nonprofits and shelter operators must follow vetting procedures.
Council members also asked about long‑term funding once opioid settlement dollars taper. Ballard said the county has formed an opioid abatement coordinating council to plan how to sustain services and is in early discussions about locally‑based long‑term treatment capacity rather than relying solely on out‑of‑county placements. She said Helping Up Mission has expressed interest in expanding a local long‑term program and building additional capacity at the women’s shelter.
The presentation included operational details—case management space at Under One Roof, integration with court treatment programs at Fresh Start, and mitigation of public‑safety and quality‑of‑life issues through coordinated law‑enforcement shelter referrals—and drew unanimous thanks from the council and applause from the audience.
The county presentation did not include any formal council action; officials said implementation will proceed at the county level in partnership with Bradenton and Palmetto.
